After a decade since the last time the two schools faced off, college football fans were given a classic from Gainesville, FL.
Alabama came out of the gates firing in the first quarter against Florida, scoring 21 points in the opening minutes of the game. But things changed quickly as the Gator defense sealed its jaw around the young Crimson Tide offense and with the help from its crowd brought its momentum to a halt.
The second punch which came from the Gators came in the trenches. Florida rushed for a total of 258 yards on the ground as it wore down Alabama’s front seven.
Quarterback Emory Jones was spectacular on the ground as he rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown, while using his arm to pick up the necessary first downs to keep the drive alive.
It was a near masterful gameplan conducted by Gators head coach Dan Mullen as it was much more physical than Alabama throughout the game.
The Crimson Tide marginally improved offensively in the third quarter as it posted a total of 79 total yards as opposed to its three in the second.
But the decisive plays came in the fourth quarter as Alabama kicker Will Reichard drilled a 24 yard field goal after the offense was stuffed on the goal line three straight plays. The kick extended the team’s lead to eight points which was far from a comfortable lead, and proved as such.
Right after the Reichard field goal, the Gators offense shredded Pete Golding’s unit once again, waltzing right down the field and scoring a touchdown.
Unfortunately for Mullen’s team, it was unable to convert on the two point conversion which had Alabama remain with the lead.
Despite a few clock issues, the Crimson Tide was able to shave the time down to just 10 seconds remaining and after the punt from James Burnip, the Gators were belly up in the water.
Final score: Alabama 31 Florida: 29
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
